Highlights
- The Rising of the Shield Hero is a popular isekai anime that stands out by daring to be different, from its brazen characters to tackling heavy topics like slavery.
- Season 2 of the anime ended with intense battles and Raphtalia earning the right to become the Katana hero, adapting chapters 43 to 88 of the manga and volumes 6 to 9 of the light novel.
- Season 3 picks up right after Season 2, with Naofumi becoming the new lord of the territory and having to rebuild the demi-human village of Lurolona, leading to a journey involving slavery and underground colosseum fights. The new season will debut on October 6th, 2023, on Crunchyroll.
There are tons of new isekai anime every year, but only a handful of them can enjoy the privilege of having a second season. The Rising of the Shield Hero is one of the isekai anime that not only got a second season, but its third season is right around the corner.
The success of this series can be attributed to lots of things, such as the extensive worldbuilding, the amazing character development, and the exciting action sequences. But the biggest contribution to its longevity is none other than the fact that this series dares to be different. From the brazen characters to tackling heavy topics like slavery, The Rising of the Shield Hero always tries to bring something unique and different to its audiences.
With that in mind, here’s everything that you need to know about the new season of the Rising of the Shield Hero.
Where Season 2 Ended
Season 2 of the Rising of the Shield Hero ended with a big bang. The heroes have to team up with the heroes from the other world in order to defeat a wicked man named Kyo who manipulates the legendary beast, the Spirit Tortoise, to cause catastrophic destruction all over the world. From mind-blowing action sequences to intense battles of wits, lots of great things are happening in the second season of this series. The most notable one was that moment when Raphtalia finally earned the right to become the Katana hero.
The second season of Rising of the Shield Hero was an adaptation of chapter 43 to chapter 88 of the manga. For fans who prefer to read the original light novels, season 2 was an adaptation of volume 6 to volume 9 of the light novels. That means the new season 3 will adapt the manga from chapter 89 onwards, and the light novel from volume 10 onwards. One thing worth noting, however, is the fact that the manga is only at chapter 100 when this article is written, so if fans want to know more about season 3 before the release of the anime, then they should read the original light novel.
The Story of Season 3
The third season of the Rising of the Shield Hero will pick up the story right after the end of the second season. After defeating Kyo and preventing the Spirit Tortoise from wreaking more havoc, the Queen of Melromarc agrees to give a small territory to Naofumi as a reward for his stellar achievement. Naofumi chose Raphtalia’s hometown, the destroyed Lurolona village, and its surrounding area as his new domain.
As the new lord of the territory, the first order of business is to rebuild the abandoned Lurolona Village. Unfortunately, since it is a demi-human village, no human wants to be involved with the construction effort of the town. That leaves Naofumi with no choice but to gather demi-humans to begin rebuilding the village. After the construction is over, the demi-humans can also become the new citizens of the newly-built Lurolona village. So it’s like killing two birds with one stone.
Unfortunately, there’s only one way to find numerous demi-humans in a world that is dominated by humans, which is through slavery. Since Melromarc only has a handful of demi-human slaves left, Naofumi and his friends decide to visit the merchant city of Zeltoble and purchase some more demi-human slaves. Unbeknownst to him, what awaits Naofumi is cruel and heartbreaking situations, and a fight to the death in an underground colosseum.
Characters and Staff
The third season will feature predominantly the same cast of characters as the previous seasons. There’s Naofumi, Raphtalia, Filo, and their companions who stay in the Lurolona village. And then there’s the Queen and Princess of Melromarc, along with the other isekai heroes, and several other recurring characters.
Other than that, season 3 also has several new characters, specifically those who live in the merchant country of Zeltoble. There’s Nadia, a carefree yet powerful lady who seems to have met Raphtalia before. There’s Atla and Fohl, a pair of white tiger demi-human siblings slaves who work in the arena. Lastly, there's S’yne, a mysterious girl who suddenly comes to the Lurolona village.
The staff working on the third season of The Rising of the Shield Hero are pretty much the same as the previous two seasons, such as Keigo Koyanagi as the scriptwriter or Kevin Penkin as the one who’s responsible for the music. The sole exception is the new director for this new season. His name is Hitoshi Haga, and he used to write and direct several episodes of Rising of the Shield Hero back in the first season.
The voice actors will reprise their roles for season three, with some additional members to voice the new cast of characters, such as Ami Koshimizu as Nadia or Kohei Amasaki as Fohl. The opening theme song is “SIN” by MADKID, while the ending theme song is “Suki ni Natte wa Ikenai Riyuu” by Chiai Fujikawa.
Release Date
The third season of The Rising of the Shield Hero will be released worldwide on October 6th, 2023. It will be available on the streaming service Crunchyroll as part of their Fall 2023 anime lineup. On the same day, Crunchyroll will also release the new season of Goblin Slayer, and several other new anime series, such as The Kingdoms of Ruin, Girlfriend, Girlfriend, and HYPNOSISMIC -Division Rap Battle- Rhyme Anime Plus. So, be sure to check them out on release day.
The Rising of the Shield Hero is available to stream on Crunchyroll.